Microctonus aethiopoides Loan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was introduced from Morocco to Australia and New Zealand for biological control of the lucerne pest, Sitona discoideus. Previous research has indicated that M. aethiopoides intraspecific genetic variation is more strongly associated with weevil host species than geographic origin. Cytochrome c oxidase… (More)

Biological control systems are integral to New Zealand’s success as a nation reliant on exporting quality agricultural, forestry and horticultural products. The likely impacts of climate change projections to 2090 on one weed and four invertebrate management systems in differing production sectors were investigated, and it was concluded that most natural… (More)

Classical biological control involves introducing natural enemies to new locations, and can often be limited by the expense, and technical and logistical complexity, of collecting, culturing and releasing natural enemies. Our study investigated the potential of mass-emergence devices, which are designed to confine hosts, but not adult parasitoids, for… (More)

Inspecting for live organisms is the main method used to verify efficacy of phytosanitary treatments. Evaluating whether small, immobile organisms such as eggs, pupae and scale insects are alive or dead usually involves either checking morphological criteria or rearing them to observe development. These methods can be inaccurate, impractical and time… (More)

Live organisms intercepted from treated commodities during phytosanitary inspections usually arouse suspicions of treatment failure, sub-standard treatment application, or post-treatment infestation. The additional possibility that some treatments could kill slowly, meaning commodities might be inspected before pests have succumbed, is seldom considered for… (More)

Using stereo generated topography of Dione, a moon of Saturn, we infer flexure across a prominent ridge on the leading hemisphere to estimate local elastic thickness and place constraints on Dione's thermal evolution. Assuming topography is related to the flexing of a broken elastic plate, we estimate an effective elastic thickness of 3.5 ± 1 km. This local… (More)